Marginalised youth in Copenhagen committing less crime

Conviction rate fell by 75 percent in Bispehaven

The crime rate among 15 to 29-year-olds in the capital’s marginalised neighbourhoods – also known as ghettos – has fallen considerably over the past five years.

The latest report from the Ministry of Housing, Urban and Rural Affairs showed improvement in four vulnerable areas in Copenhagen, including a significant 32 percent drop in convictions in Mjølnerparken, Nørrebro and a 75 percent fall in Bispeparken.

“There is more focus on the youngsters,” Rasmus Bernt Skovgaard, the head of the local police squad at Copenhagen Police, told Metroxpress newspaper. “We make home visits and speak with parents.”

READ MORE: Denmark has fewer ghettos this year

Team effort
Skovgaard believes the credit for the falling crime rates is mainly down to the efforts of the police, municipalities, social workers, housing buildings and  citizens who work together to prevent crime.

“We speak with the youngsters earnestly and work at spotting potential troublemakers quickly before getting them out of their negative environment.”

The news comes in the wake of the latest list of marginalised and troubled neighbourhoods – also known as the ‘ghetto list’ – which revealed late last year that the number of ghettos in Denmark fell from 33 to 31 in 2014 compared to the year before.

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